diane

Oh, yes, sandik, as would I! What a wonderful idea, for young dancers, but also to help promote the ballet. -d-

Amy, I found this: (quote: "he could not create the fourth act (for technical reasons, but also because of his failing health) after Petipa (the temple collapsing, the anger of the gods following la Bayadère’s death) because Minkus’ original music and the choreography had been lost since 1919, Rudolf Nureyev ended his ballet with the « Shades » act ") from the page: http://www.nureyev.org/rudolf-nureyev-choreographies/rudolf-nureyev-la-bayadere-petipa Perhaps that sort of explains why Nureyev never did the fourth act in his version for POB. At any rate, I am now going to try to find a DVD of that version. -d-

Interesting you should ask this. I am sure many people who have seen the "older" versions of grand jetes often wonder the same thing. Perhaps the physique of some dancers has something to do with it. Surely there is also the changing expectations of the angles the legs have to make; a "split" jump is perhaps not going to "fly" so much? I am curious about what other people will say about this. -d-

Sorry to read this. She will be missed, I am sure. -d-

Oh, thank you for this! -d-

Fascinating! thank you for that quote, innopac! -d-

thanks for the update on this case. I would have missed it otherwise. What a horrific experience for all involved. I wonder if it will ever come to light WHY it happened in the first place. -d-

thank you for the information on that (blackface, etc.) yes, I agree, it would be helpful to go into a bit of depth in the programme notes - and also probably during any pre-performance educational gigs - in order to put it into perspective, if one wants to continue using these. -d-

thanks for this! I, too, always love hearing /reading about this company. Interesting about the "black-face" conundrum. Is there anything _else_ one could do in place of that? What is it supposed to signify? Also interesting how audiences perceive things - now as opposed to many years ago, or in other countries. Someone pretending to masturbate is perhaps something which could cause a minor uproar under some circumstances. It does seem strange that the depiction of murder usually does not cause a reaction of that sort. -d-

I agree, thank you! I really very much enjoy watching rehearsals - either live or on film - often more than the performance itself. (this goes for opera and acting productions, as well) Although I greatly admire A.Ferri and her work, as a former dancer (and now mother of two DDs, also professionals), I cannot help but wonder how the legions of younger dancers view this project? Would any of them have liked the opportunity of doing something like this? I cannot remember if anytihng of the sort happened where I was dancing, all those years ago, that a dancer came back "out of retirement" to do something like this. -d- (edited to add clarification)

Thanks for the heads-up! (really? Was Noverre a bit of a curmudgeon? That is funny, then.) This "international day of dance" always seems to "sneak up" on me; I always only realise that it is that time again when it is already the day. I spent my day preparing and then teaching my classes. A normal, "dance day" for me! -d-

First of all, Fraildove, that story about your young son and what he said are priceless! (I do agree with the idea of asking people to not wear perfume or other strong-smelling stuff in such confined spaces!) Second, it is quite interesting to see how different theatres tend to have different "tradiitions" of how the audience likes to dress. It also - of course - seems to change according to what is being played that night. Where I am, a town with a huge university, the general "dress-code" is fairly casual. Exceptions are opening-nights of an opera. (but, sadly, not many university students appear to be interested in opear) The theatre where my DDs dance seems to have a more "formal" dress-code for audience members; though of course nothing is written. When we lived in Austria and the winters were pretty cold and with lots of snow, many people would arrive at the theatre wearing snow-boots and heavy snow-clothing, but changed when there, leaving the outdoor clothing and shoes in bags and on hooks where one can check coats. -d-

I also thank you for the report! It is such fun to read other people's impressions of a ballet, (especially when it is one I know fairly well), and I really enjoy reading what others like or dislike; what they notice, what moves them, what is important to them. Thank you! -d-

Thanks for this very nuanced and clear review! I could just "see" many of the details through your descriptions. "Giselle" seems to be "big" in many companies - also modern ones - in Europe this season; almost as if it were "catching". (or perhaps it is partly due to a number of principal dancers touring around, performing the roles as guests?) -d-

This really was great, thank you for bringing it to our attention! It is so interesting to read about the topics from the director's point of view. -d-

Very interesting, thank you! I find it fascinating to find out what various dancers have done when working on the portrayal of their roles. -d-

Thank you for your review of this! I am sorry I missed it. (I will be in the area - but several weeks too late) It is important for the community to try to support these smaller, local companies. I am glad that it ,looked like they got a lot of support for this programme, too. Really too bad about the lack of a live orchestra! That bothers me a lot about many (often more modern) programmes in smaller theatres here. (mainly electronic music - and not live) I wonder how expensive it is for a company to put on something like Balanchine, when they probably have to pay rather large sums in "royalties" and of course the stagers and their living expenses, too. -d-

sandik, excellent point about the dancers being addressed as if they were still kids! I got so fed-up with being called a "girl" throughout my career that I vowed never to address any dancers in my care that way - at least not after the age of about eight. (I say, "ladies" and "gentlemen" - or "damen und herren" ) -d-

Oh, thank you! I am sorry I misunderstood. -d-

Sad news of Mr. Nimoy's death. What a good story, abatt! During Star Trek heyday on television I was not living where the shows could be seen, but later - years later - my kids were sent video-tapes of the re-runs (to help with their English) and we watched them together. So cool! Mr. Spock was a favorite. Never to be forgotten. -d-

I am a bit confused about Lynette H's post above. Was that the Oakland Ballet? Did the Oakland Ballet get all those guests in from the Royal Ballet for their anniversary show? -d-

It is very intriguing how the "fashion" of height changes over time. When I was dancing I was almost one of the taller ones at about 5'4". Now my own daughters, taller than I am, are in the "middle range". (of course, it depends on the company - and probably country?) Following a tangent ..... As to tan: when I was very young my family lived in Japan and at that time most Japanese - especially the women - avoided as much sun-exposure on their skin as possible, trying to be as pale as they could be. Most of the Japanese people back then (this was àll of 16 years after the end of WWII) were also quite small - at least compared to the big US-Americans of the day. But their (the Japanese) prepubescent children were often nearly as tall as or taller than the parents. My Dad said he thought it was due to the change in their nutrition. I guess that now, too, as many people tend to be taller than the generation before, perhaps also due to nutrition, the "norms" have changed in ballet companies as well. -d- (edited to try to be clearer)

Thanks! -d-

Is he actually taken seriously? -d-

That was cool, thanks for the story! I can just imagine his smile. -d-